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Spent coffee grounds have bugs

 
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What are the tiny bugs that are growing in my spent coffee grounds?  
I let the coffee grounds dry out in 5 gallon buckets and now all of them are filled with little white bugs that appear to be in the larval stage.
 
pollinator
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I'm guessing that you're seeing some kind of maggot, the larval stage of some sort of fly. That would indicate that your coffee grounds aren't as dry as you think they are. I've had flies lay eggs in wet grounds, but it makes no difference to me. I just dig those grounds right into the dirt, maggots and all. That way I don't have to deal with any flies.

I don't dry my coffee grounds out. Whenever a wet soil amendment is dried out, be it manure, compost, coffee grounds, or whatever, some of its nutrients will gas off, escaping into the air. So in order to retain as much of the nutrients as possible, I immediately add mine to the soil or compost. In regions that get frozen ground, that wouldn't be possible. So drying or ensilaging may be the next best option.
 
Dennis Bangham
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Thanks Su Ba.  I think you are right about it being fly larva.  I ended up getting more than I can use right away.  
I will see if I can find covers and let it heat up inside the buckets and then use it soon as I can.  Maybe just pile it up around all my trees.  And cover with wood chips.
 
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I would guess that they are black soldier fly larvae.  They grow big, quick and populate heavily.  
Great for getting rid of all non-woody waste - meat, bread, fruit & veggie.  Good food source for chickens, fish and pigs.
Residue is minimal - 5 to 10% of input but redworms or your plants will love it.
Once they are flies, they are not a nuisance and reduce the number of nuisance flies - blow, fruit and house flies.
 
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hau Dennis, I like to add extra coffee grounds to my compost heaps or to worm beds, this way I am getting more bang for the energy expenditure.

If you dry out spent coffee grounds you do need to keep them in a covered container, and as Su Ba mentioned, nutrients will gas off as the grounds are drying out.

Redhawk
 
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Meanwhile, I am trying to get my coffee ground-compost pile colonized with maggots for chickens. It has been 3 weeks now and there are only a couple of black soldier fly larvae. When you need, it just doesn't happen. Murphy's law...

Dennis Bangham wrote: Maybe just pile it up around all my trees. And cover with wood chips.


I would put some wood chips and then cover it with coffee grounds. It turns into a sticky mess when the nitrogen-rich layer is beneath the carbon layer. You can then put another layer of wood chips to keep it moist and for aesthetics.
 
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